"Watchmen" NOT for kids, parents who bring them should be arrested

I saw one of the most vile sights I have seen since I became a parent Friday night at Sea Turtle.
"Watchmen" is one of the most violent, over-the-top movies ever released in theaters. Graphic depiction of bones breaking, people bursting into blood puddles and limbs being sawed off make this worse than anything I have ever witnessed in gore movies like "Saw" and "Hostel." Not to mention very graphic nudity, simulated rape scenes and violence toward women.
This was a NC-17 movie if ever I've seen one. The ratings board should be investigated for letting this slip into theaters with a R rating.
But even more disgusting to me was seeing 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-year-old kids in the theater. To their credit, some parents left with their parents after the first 10 minutes when they realized this wasn't anywhere remotely appropriate for kids to see.
After one grotesque fight scene, we heard a kid behind us say, "Mommy, is that woman going to be OK?" with a really frightened voice.
These kids will have nightmares for months, if not years, by witnessing this film. I am far from a perfect parent, so I try not to judge. But this was unfathomable. How could any parent with a sliver of common sense let their kids sit through this?
Even more, I think the folks at Sea Turtle should go above and beyond and turn all kids under 10 away from this movie - even with their parent. Then the parents that brought the kids should be reported to Child Protective Services.
This movie was that graphically disturbing.
Have we really become this desensitized to violence that we've lost all boundaries of common sense?